“Aaron did as Moses told him and ran out among the people. The plague had already begun to strike down the people, but Aaron burned the incense and purified the people. He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague stopped.” — Numbers 16:47-48

When President Reagan narrowly survived an assassination attempt on March 30, 1981, he was rushed to a Washington D. C. hospital, critically wounded. When his wife, Nancy, arrived, Reagan quipped, with rare humor, “Honey, I forgot to duck.”

People who are fired upon at such short range usually don’t get a chance to duck. In fact, they rarely manage to dodge a bullet at all. If they are fortunate enough to do so, they take extra care in the future.

The children of Israel dodged a major bullet, figuratively, when Korah and his rebel followers challenged the leadership of Moses and Aaron–or more accurately, the Lord’s leadership. When Moses and Aaron realized the depth of the Lord’s anger against the people of Israel, they “fell face down on the ground.” And they said, “O, God, the God and source of all life. Must you be angry will all the people when only one man sins?” (Numbers 16:22)

The Lord responded to their intercession by warning the people to steer clear of Korah and his fellow consirators. When the earth opened up and swallowed them, the people “dodged a bullet.”

Amazingly, however, “the very next morning the who community began muttering again against Moses and Aaron, saying, You two have killed the Lord’s people!” (Numbers 16:41) Some people never learn! If Moses and Aaron at this point had thrown up their hands and resigned, it would have been perfectly understandable! They had been falsely accused of abusing their powers in the first place. They had responded by opening themselves up to public scrutiny in which they had been thoroughly vindicated. They had graciously intervened on behalf of the people and saved them from a terrible fate. And they had been instrumental in allowing the people to see that the Lord really was at work in their midst. In return, they were accused of killing the Lord’s people!

But they did not quit. Instead, “Moses said to Aaron, “Quick, take an incense burner and place burning coals on it from the altar. Lay incense on it and carry it quickly among the people to make atonement for them.” (Numbers 16:46) With the plague already raging, Aaron “stood between the living and the dead until the plague was stopped.” (Numbers 16:48)

The leadership of Moses and Aaron was questioned by lesser men, but their behavior in the midst of disaster and their performance of a thankless task among unthankful people was exemplary. They literally stood between the living and the dead and didn’t duck–or even flinch! You don’t criticize such leadership–you follow it!

God may have called you to lead. I do know that we stand, as His children, between Him and a lost humanity that needs reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18) We are the agents of that reconciliation. I challenge you today to stand between the living and the dead…that’s where I’ll be standing!

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One response to “Between the Living and the Dead”

Hi Papa Dye! RIGHT ON. I heard a preacher the other day talking about how people say they are under grace and Jesus is Love, and how preachers should not be so “harsh” about “little things” – I’m right with you – I believe that God is still Just, He’s still Holy and He still cannot abide sin any more than He could before He sent His one and only Son to bear the punishment we deserved!! I try not to point out the speck in my brother’s eye before I get the beam out of mine, but I believe we should all be trying our best to obey the Word of God in our lives, and we should all be encouraging one another to good works. We are dealing with a similar situation in our church…people who think obedience isn’t important anymore…thanks for speaking up!! Love to you and Ms. Shirlon!!